Heat-controller stand for electric smoothing-irons.



PATENTED MAR. 24, 1903.

J. I. 'AYER.' HEAT CONTROLLER STAND FOR ELECTRIC SMOOTHING IRONS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 9, 1902. v

30 MODEL.

UNETED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

JAMES I. AYER, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR SIMPLEX ELECTRIC HEATING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

HEAT-CONTROLLER STAND FOR ELECTRIC SMOOTHING-IRONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters IPatent N 0. 723,632, dated March 24, 1903. Application filed January 9, 1902. Serial No. 88,953. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES I. AYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at'Malden, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Heat-Controller Stands for Electric Smoothing-Irons, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to electrically-heated tools, a flat-iron orsmoothing-iron being heredescription.

in used for convenience of illustration and Such articles are maintained in a heated condition by being included in an electric circuit, and heretofore they have usually simply been placed when not being used on any convenient stand or support, the result being that heat has gradually accumu-- lated, so that when the iron is brought again into use it will be found to be overheated. Accordingly I have devised a special apparatus by which a desired maximum amount of current may be delivered to the iron for service and a less amount when the iron is temporarily out of service, this being accom: plishcd, as herein shown, by throwing into series with the circuit of the hon a resistance, preferably variable, as required by special conditions, this provision also including, preferably, the heating more or less of the stand, which is preferably included in said series circnitwhen thesmoothing-iron is not being actively used, this heating of the stand serving to assist in maintaining the iron in normally heated condition ready-for use when desired and yet operating in con nection with the system to prevent overheating, as explained.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one form of my apparatus, in which the same is hand'operated.

The constructional details and further advantages of my invention will be set forth more atlength in the course of the following description, reference being had to the acco mpanying drawings, which show a preferred form of the hand-operated apparatus, and the invention will be more fully defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows the stand in top plan. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, showing the heating-circuit diagrammatically. Fig. 3 is a view partlyiu section and .partly in plan, showing the details of elecunits, (shown as plates 12,) three thereof being herein shown forconvenience, said plates being slightly separated from each other by air-gaps or other means, as indicated at Z), and secured tightly in place.

At some suitable place, herein shown as located on the base 8 ,1 provide a switch for introducing one or more of the resistanceplates 1), as maybe desired under special circumstances, said switch being shown as comprising a plate 0, provided with a series of binding-posts c and adjacent contacts 0 c c and a switch lever c, pivoted at C on an insulated notched plate a The circuit of the iron a leads from two feed-wires 1-2 by wires 3 4 to the switch, said Wires being respectively connected to the switch-lever 0 and the first binding-post to the plate 1), and a return-wire 6 leads therefrom to the next binding-post and so on with wires 7 S 9 10, which are connected, as shown, to the several binding-posts in such manner as to permit the introduction of one plate or two plates or three plates, as desired, into series with the smoothing-iron circuit 3 at.

It will be understood that the mechanica details of construction may be widely varied without departing born the spirit and scop of my invention.

'For some purposes a hand-operated device is preferable and for other purposes an automatic device is preferable, and I wish it understood that certain of my claims herein tion'will be that required for ordinary ironing or other use, according to the character of the tool; but if the tool is required for service under conditions which demand less heat then the switch may simply be changed to the contact 0 thereby throwing into series the resistance with relation to the circuit 3 4 and correspondingly decreasing the heating of the iron a. When the iron is temporarily placed out of service, it is set at reston the stand S and the switch-lever c is shifted so as to throw into series with the feed-circuitsuch an amount of the resistances 17191? as may he required for simply maintaining the iron at normal heat, the usual construction of the apparatus being such that for this purpose the switch-lever '0 is thrown to the extreme left in cont-act with the contact 0 The result is that not only less current flows through the iron a, and

therefore for that reason the latter is prevented from overheating, but by reason of the fact that the stand itself contains the resistance the heat which. would be otherwise wasted in case the rheostat were not in or a part of the stand is caused to do useful work, being directly utilized in keeping the stand heated sufficiently to assist in keeping normal heat in the smoothing-iron when idle. When the iron is in use, the rheostat is usually cut out entirely, and hence the iron gets the maximum supply of energy for which it is designed, and when the iron is out of use and the current flows through the rheostat the iron still gets the benefit of all the energy consumed because the rheostat and the stand on which the iron tests are practically one, and there is, therefore, a maximum efficiency in the apparatus. o The iron, in use, requires a certain amount of heating energy in order to maintain a proper temperature and yet be able continually to part with heat to the 'materialsbeing ironed, and when idle it has heretofore been placed simply on a conventional form of stand and first parts with approximately the same amount of heat to the cold stand; but as soon as the latter becomes heated the temperature of the iron rapidly increases to a point where it materially adects the ultimate life of the iron, and hence a rheostat on the Wall is frequently employed to prevent this overheating. All the energy which the wall rheostat consumes is a total loss, whereas by my invention the total amount of energy required in the circuit is reduced by such amount as was previously wasted by the separate rheostat, and all is applied to the work of maintaining the idle iron at proper temperature.

In the above description I have not undertaken to set forth all. the conditions and advantages of use of my invention, but merely the leading ones, and many others will-occur to those skilled in the art.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United St tes, is-

1. In an apparatus 0 the kind described, comprising a tool to be heated, an electric circuit in series with said tool for supplying heat ing-current thereto, a stand for receiving said tool, said stand being provided with a resistance adapted to heat the stand, and means for introducing said resistance into series circuit with said tool.

2. In an apparatus of the kind described, comprising a tool to be heated, an electric circuit in series withsaid tool forsupplyingheat ing-current thereto, a stand for receiving said tool, said stand being provided with aresistance, means for introducing said resistance into series circuit with said tool, and means for varying said resistance.

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, comprising a tool to be heated, an electric circuit in series with said tool for supplying heating-current thereto, both when in use and when not in use, a stand for receiving said tool, a resistance secured in operative contact with said stand, and means for introducing said resistance into series circuit with said tool, thereby decreasing the heating-current of the iron and applying current to heat said stand. 1 I

t. In an apparatus of the kind described,

comprising a tool to be heated, an electric circult in series with said tool for supplying heating-cnrrent-thereto, a stand for receiving said tool, a series of resistance devices secured in heating connection with said stand,and means for introducing said resistances as desired into series with said heating-circuit.

5. In an apparatus of the kind described, comprising a tool to be heated, an electric circuit inseries with said tool for supplyingheating-current thereto, a stand for receiving said tool, a series of resistance devices secured in heating connection with said stand and manually-operated means for introducing said resistances as desired into series with said heating-circuit.

6. In an apparatus of the kind described, comprising a'tool to be heated, an electric circuit including said tool for supplying heating current thereto when in use and not in use, a stand for receiving said tool, a resistance secured in operative contact withsaid stand, and manually-operated means for introducin g said resistance into series circuit with said IIO tool', thereby deereasing the heating-current ent plate conductors secured in heating relato' of the iron and applying eurrentto heat said tion to said stand.

stand. In testimony whereof I have signed my' 7. In an apparatus of the kind described; I name'to this specification in the presence of comprising a. 11001 to be heated, an electric cirtwo subscribing witnesses. chitin series with said tool for supplyingheating-current theret'o,;a stand forreceiving said W itnesses tool, and a. rheostat in said. heating-circuit, GEO.H.' MAXWELL, said rheostat including a series of-independ- 'WILHELMINA O. HEUSER.

As AYER. 

